Wrath of Fire
by CsPPP
Summary: Is anything really ever that easy? Sure, they grabbed the bull by the horns (pun fully intended), but is that enough to rid the earth of one of the most menacing species it has to offer? How can anyone be sure without truly knowing these creatures and how they have lived through the ages. The defeat of the alpha male may have been a great victory, but could it only be a false hope?
1. Prologue

**Notes: I do not own any rights to the Reign of Fire series or anything relating to it. I am simply a huge fan, and, personally, I think it has the best dragon creature design of any other movie. This is just a prologue for my overall story, and I just wanted to see how it goes before taking the time to write any more, though I probably will post a bit more as you can't truly get a feel for what I'm really trying to do just by this short bit (subnote: there are several obvious hints in there though). Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoy.**

Wrath Of Fire

"Cats… take the large cats of Africa for example. In a pride of lions there is usually only one male, the alpha male so to speak. Now, I'm sure we've all seen those documentaries at one point or another that basically tell us that this male is essentially useless as he does none of the hunting and really just sits there and just tries to look good. Ladies, I can see you all trying not to look at your husbands," A slight chuckle emanates through the crowd as he pauses for a brief moment before continuing, "but hold off on looking his way for just a second longer. You see, this alpha male actually acts as the group's largest stabilizing factor. He keeps things in check and balanced, now sadly this includes killing his own offspring on occasion if they could possibly pose a threat to his dominance, but let's just overlook that detail for the sake of not getting sidetracked." A larger but brief roar of laughter can be heard this time as he pauses once again, "As you can, and have no doubt seen throughout this presentation, we share a lot of aspects in common with other living things, from apes to horses to birds to cats, granted that last example was more of a poke at some fun, but even after all those relations we still possess at least one thing that all other living creatures do not; we have will, free will in fact. The will to choose what we want to eat next, the will to love whomever we desire, and the will to give up, or persevere. I'm running a bit short on time here I'm afraid, but we're almost done. So, in a brief conclusion to restate our topic this evening, we – as the human race – are the most gifted, and highly advanced, species to ever walk the planet... Thank you."

The usual upheaval of applause that accompany such a presentation resound off the walls of the large room as Dr. Ulisse Anning steps down from the stage and makes his way towards the back exit. He did not intend to stay for the rest of the program as he felt he would be better served back in his lab at the university, or more importantly with his eagerly expecting wife, Dr. Marie Anning. It was going to be their first, and she was already about half way through her third trimester. Despite this, he knew all too well right where she'd be: in the lab.

When he wasn't giving a talk such as he had just done, in the laboratory, and/or spending time with his significant other, he could often be found lecturing his students or otherwise helping them along with given assignments. He was a professor of Paleontology and Genetics at a decently sized university, located somewhere on the east side of the Appalachian mountains in Virginia. At least for the time being he taught courses related to these fields, that is until they assigned him to teach yet another class next semester, which he didn't mind so much as long as he wasn't teaching completely foreign material, such as the finer arts. He had a Ph.D. in genetics and a Masters in paleontology as well as a few other various minors in closely related areas. He did, however, have a secret longing to get settled into one class eventually.

Just as he had suspected, Marie was still in the lab, which is right where she had been since he left to give his talk about an hour or two ago. She had been engrossed nearly the entire day with studying a recently discovered pterosaur, perhaps more commonly known as a pterodactyl, skeleton that had been uncovered, surprisingly enough, deep within a remote cave system on the island of Great Britain. The university had been chosen to 'dissect' this new find for its exceptional facilities and staff, which included both the doctor and his wife amongst a few others.

Ulisse, or Se for short, though Marie usually only ever referred to him as Honey, Darling, or Babe, sneakily makes his way inside the test center and quietly walks up behind the seemingly mesmerized woman at the microscope. Her pregnant figure becoming more noticeable as he drew closer, he decidedly did not try and scare her, for good reason. Instead he simply placed his hands on her shoulders and began to message lightly, position his head over top of her long, blonde hair.

Jumping slightly at first, she smiles, leaning back, and turns her head up to kiss him, admiring his short brown hair and slight 5 o'clock shadow. His face is more oval shaped than it is round, and it's features, such as his cheek bones are fairly pronounced, but not to the point where it makes him look too thin, simply average, which was her preference. She straight way asks him, "How was the talk?"

"Meh, long… boring… same ol', same old," he replies wittingly while he both removes his scholarly glasses, as well as hers, and goes the extra distance to close the gap between him and her. Her face is slightly more rounded than his, and her hair line gives it a sort of heart shaped appearance. Her features are also more soft and smooth rather than distinctly profound.

"What do you think it is?" she asks.

"Well, by the looks of it, it's definitely a pterosaur. At least that's what it said on the box," he says jokingly.

She gives him _that_ look and says, "You're so generic. That's the oldest evasion tactic in the book."

"I thought you didn't want to know?" he questions.

She tilts her head to the side a bit, leaning on his hand, "I don't, but I'm just wondering what you think is all."

He simply rubs her stomach gently and asks, "Well, what do you want it to be?" Before she can answer he adds, "You know, alligators, when they keep their eggs at a certain temperature, can actually choose the sex of their young." She flashes another _that_ look, but he goes on anyhow, trying to save the moment. "Yep, if it's warmer than a certain degree then the brood is certain to be all males, and vice versa for females. Now, would you like a blanket? You seem a tad bit on the cooler side."

"Don't try and regale me with your genetics," she quips. "And who said anything about me wanting a boy?"

"Alright, a girl then," he concedes. "How about a name then? It seems you've already given some thought about 'her', so surely you have a name at the forefront you are thinking about."

She nods and accepts his surrender.

"Alexandra… I was thinking about Alexandra…"


	2. Born of Ash

**Born of Ash**

Hard to believe it had been a little more than 15 years since the _final showdown_. It was 2035 A.D. and things were thriving. Much greenery had returned all over the earth, and surprisingly, due to all the nutrients that had been building up and put in over the years, the land was quite fertile. It was also a well-known fact, even many years before the appearance of the dragons, that volcanic soil is among the best in the world when it comes to growing things, but no one could have told that, after everything was said and done, the ground would basically have the same makeup as that type of dirt, though it's not hard to see why once you think about it.

Many, many more people than previously thought had survived the horror, a vast majority of them being Americans – not just north but south as well. When the burning plague first showed up on the island of Great Britain, a handful of other countries had at least some time to react before it reached them completely, such as China, Japan, Australia, a few South Pacific islands, and most of the countries on the Americas, and that was only because they all could afford the means to do so.

The agreed upon tactic, at first, was to use sheer power and weaponry, but after all of Europe and parts of Africa as well as Asia, were completely torched − in less than a month − it was time for 'Plan B', which was simply to go underground. Massive shelters were dug out and stocked with supplies, however, they could not hold everyone as, of course, not all of them were completed before hell's fury broke loose. Those that were, housed exactly who they were supposed to: the locals within the facility's designated coverage radius. Those that weren't lucky enough to even live within range of a halfway completed structure were left out in the 'cold' so to speak. All over the world, these abandoned individuals included ordinary citizens, rich and poor, military, high ranking and low, and government officials, politicians and just workers alike.

Special agents − called Shadows − who were trained to live on the outside in secret, were tasked to bring information back to these places and to give the 'all clear' if and when conditions lessened. Each facility had only 5 agents of its own, but it was thought to be enough as the training program was extremely rigorous and since there were not many to go around in the first place.

With the prime directive to survive at all costs, many Shadows turned out to be exceptionally ruthless, using anything, and anyone, they could to avoid being burned or eaten. Even this did not save most of them. Many were dead within the first couple of years. As the global society began rebuilding, those that survived seemingly vanished when judgment came knocking and their actions were brought into the limelight.

Entire shelters lost their contact with the outside world, and as such some opened their doors prematurely or simply did not open their doors at all, starving to death inside each and every person as the food ran out. They chose their own form of death, though in the end it was just as painful. Still though, many more people than imagined had made it through, and with the world looking completely different once they emerged, it was up to the outsiders to take the lead and help acclimate them to this new life.

Things were looking up. Contact had been reestablished around the globe so each group was in constant communication, giving hints and tips to those who needed it and just all around helping in any way they could. Dragons did still exist. Occasionally a female could be spotted skulking around, looking for her next meal. The scouting groups were stalked the most as they were only a few and easy to pick off, but farmers out in the fields and even, in extreme cases, citizens in town still fell victim every now and again.

Efforts were being made, however, to basically hunt down each and every last one and ensure more safety, but as they grew fewer this only seemed to make them more dangerous and fierce. After all, it makes sense that the toughest would survive the longest. Hunting dragons became a sort of lucrative business. At first it was more of a unified effort, but as time went on and due to the decrease in dragon population – and thus at home risk – less and less people chose to help until only a few were skilled enough or had the methods to bring them down.

Slayers, as they were roughly referred to, traveled from town to town, killing nearby 'problems' for a profit. They were unruly and disruptive, sort of like gangs that you'd see in a western style movie except not quite as outlaw in nature.

Surprisingly, London and its surrounding areas had rebuilt the fastest, though they would never look as they once had. This was impart due to the noticeable lack of dragon attacks once the male had been dispatched. It became a sort of epicenter for the new world and held the title Central Command, with other places simply being called colonies. Ironic that even after what others called the end of the world, the sun never set on the British Empire.


End file.
